Adrianna Vineyard Malbec
⏳ wine.drinking_window
2025 - 2045
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted rosemary lamb chops, earthy wild mushroom risotto
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Hailing from a select 2.6-hectare parcel within the legendary high-altitude Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, the 2020 River Stones Malbec is defined by its unique terroir. This parcel is situated on an ancient dry riverbed covered with smooth, calcium carbonate-coated stones. These white stones absorb heat during the sunny Andean days and radiate it back to the vines at night, protecting them from extreme mountain frosts while ensuring optimal ripening. The 2020 vintage was remarkably warm and dry, prompting an exceptionally early harvest that captured the grapes at peak acidity and structural tension. Fermented with wild yeasts in concrete and oak foudres, and aged for 20 months in French oak, this 100% Malbec delivers an intense, mineral-driven profile characterized by black fruit, violet notes, and a distinct gunflint minerality.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, the historic Catena Zapata estate is located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, and remains family-owned under the visionary leadership of Nicolás Catena Zapata and his daughter Laura. Renowned for pioneering high-altitude viticulture in the Andean foothills, the winery revolutionized Argentine winemaking by proving that world-class, age-worthy wines could be produced from extreme mountain terroirs. Their production philosophy focuses on meticulous parcel selection and soil-specific micro-vinifications, particularly within the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard. Catena Zapata is celebrated globally for its profound, structured red wines, most notably its flagship Bordeaux-style blend, Nicolás Catena Zapata, and the highly expressive, mineral-driven Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec.